I Know Exactly What You Need
by Elpheen
Summary: Says Galinda. Elphaba disagrees. But goes along with it anyway... For once not a oneshot! [I only just realised on rereading this that it should be Galinda, not Glinda. I may change it at a later date, but for now I'll leave it as Glinda.]
1. Chapter 1

**As you may have realised by now, when I get writer's block on one story, I have a tendency to start another. So, whilst I have most definitely not abandoned my Lost fics, they have been causing me grief...and what better way to vent that frustration than to write a fic about our two favourite witches? Remember, reviews equal chapters...have fun, my sweets.**

**And no, I don't own Elphaba. Or Glinda. Or Wicked at all. Damn copyright laws.**

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Glinda sighed dramatically, throwing herself backwards onto her pink-quilted bed. Elphaba looked up from her book – a collection of documents on the unionist views of Life Sciences – and despite her usual practice of ignoring her blonde room-mate, rolled her eyes. 

'Oh, Elphie, why do you always have to be reading? It's so…so…'

'Educational?' Elphaba smirked, 'You know, if you allowed yourself to so much as glance at a piece of literature once in a while, you may even increase your vocabulary. It would save you the embarrassment of being lost for words and having to rely on others to finish your sentences,' she observed, returning to her book, not waiting for a response.

Glinda pouted, looking mildly insulted, 'I'll have you know that I am not, as you seem to believe, totally illiterate.'

'_Ozmopolitan_ does not count as literature, Glinda,' Elphaba replied, not looking up from her book.

'You know what you need?' Glinda spoke after several of minutes of what she deemed to be uncomfortable silence. Truth be told, most silence was uncomfortable to her, and Elphaba repressed a sigh.

'Yes, actually. I need you to be quiet,' she retorted, having read the same sentence at least five times, unable to concentrate with Glinda's constant sighing and interruptions.

'No, silly. You need to go shopping!' Glinda squealed at her own ingenuity, jumping up and skipping about the room. 'We can go to the Ozdust Mall, they have a sale on _everything_ at the moment – not that money is an issue,' she hastened to add.

Elphaba opened her mouth to protest, but Glinda wasn't having any of it, 'Oh no, don't you argue with me, Miss Elphie,' she said sternly. 'I don't think I've ever seen you shopping for pleasure, or even for necessity, come to think of it,' she frowned, ever confused by 'Miss Elphie's lack of interest in the things that really mattered.

'I happen not to care for such trivial issues as shopping,' Elphaba explained. 'I own everything I need, and should I ever have need of anything else, I would have no hesitation in entering a shop for it. Until then, however, I intend to avoid such places as the Ozdust Mall.'

'But Elphie…' Glinda whined.

'I've told you before, Glinda, don't call me that. It's far too perky for my liking. And please, try to refrain from whining. It's not becoming on a young lady such as yourself.'

'But you _have_ to go shopping it's…like…a rite of passage,' the blonde refused to give up.

'Miss Glinda, unlike yourself, I would rather spend my precious time learning, not drifting in and out of shops that hold no interest for me.'

'Miss Elphaba Thropp,' the green girl looked up at the unusual use of her full name, 'I am going to insist that you go shopping, if only just this once, purely because you are of feminine inclination and every girl has buried inside them – no matter how deep – a love of shopping. Yours just hasn't presented itself to you yet.'

Elphaba made a mental note of the page number, and flipped the book shut, raising a cynical eyebrow at Glinda.

'Seeing as I am obviously not going to be able to get through one more page of this book with you pestering me so, I might as well agree to your request, so long as…'

Glinda let out a squeal of joy, at which Elphaba winced.

'_So long as_ you promise to let me alone in peace hereafter.'

'I promise, Elphie, oh we're going to have such fun!' Glinda clapped her hands, and rushed about the room gathering her purse, coat and whatever other trinkets one needed on a shopping trip.

Elphaba resignedly pulled on her boots and coat, regretting immediately her decision. _Sweet Oz, what have I let myself in for?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Well colour me green, two chapters on consecutive days!!! Now that's a first! And it's all because of those three reviews that you were kinda enough to leave ) **

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Glinda had to restrain her urge to skip down the street from where her carriage was parked to the mall. Elphaba already had a headache from her 'friend's unrelenting, persistent, high-pitched chatter the whole journey into the town centre, and was deeply regretting ever setting foot in the pink-seated vehicle. 

Her disposition wasn't helped by the beautiful weather, which seemed to be mocking her increasingly bad mood. Even rain would be better than this, she mused, as she would have had an excuse to stay inside, rather than give in to her room-mate's persistent whining.

'Come on, Elphie, hurry up!' Glinda near sang, grabbing a green hand, and tugging her friend along. She was so excited, she had finally managed to convince the anti-social bookworm to relieve herself of her pile of books and come shopping. Mission: Impossible had become a reality, she grinned, blonde curls bouncing on her shoulders. 'Y'know, you needn't look as if you're being taken to your execution,' she commented. 'Lighten up a little, now you're here you might as well make the most of it.'

Elphaba sighed – the first of many, she predicted – and knew that Glinda was right. Shaking off her regrets and doubts, she allowed herself to smile. This was Glinda's area of expertise, and if she played along, maybe as a reward they'd be able to leave early. That hope fixed firmly in her mind, she picked up her pace to match Glinda's and tried to revel in her surroundings. Without much success. Well, at least she was trying, which was more than she could say for Glinda's attempt at education.

'As you wish,' she answered, 'Where to first?'

Self-absorbed and shallow though she first appeared, Glinda was somewhat sensitive to Elphie's taste. And that was why she dismissed _Fairydust_, an accessory store, _Sparkle_, the number one resource for all things pink and glittery, and _Flirty Fantasy_, her favourite stop for lingerie. She only hoped Elphie appreciated just how much willpower it took to pass all the SALE signs, and the shop windows full of pink, fluffy, sparkly delights.

Whilst trying to work out where to go first, she noticed a small corner-shop window catch Elphie's eye.

'What? What did you see?' She asked, eager to discover that maybe Elphie did like shopping after all.

Elphaba feined disinterest, not wanting Glinda to see that she actually sort of _wanted_ to go into a shop.

'Nothing, it was nothing.'

'No, it wasn't, Elphie, you saw something, and you're going to try it on for me,' seeing the green face about to protest, she cut her off, 'And don't worry about money, it's Lurlinemas next month, and I have no idea what to buy you, so if you see something you like…it can be an early present!' She smiled, encouraging Elphie to open up.

Elphaba hesitated a moment, before relenting, 'Over there,' she pointed, and Glinda squinted, just about able to make out the name of the shop, the paint peeling and fading from the sign above the door.

'_Which Witch_? Oh come on, Elphie, you don't want to go in there…' she let a note of whining creep back into her voice.

'Glinda, you dragged me here, against my better judgement, therefore I will choose which shops I wish to browse.'

'Fine,' Glinda pouted, at which Elphaba couldn't help but laugh.

'You really are ridiculous, you know that?' She commented, but her tone was light, a change from her usual sarcasm.

As she walked off, Glinda nearly rolled her eyes at the departing figure, but managed to stop herself as she realised it was the same gesture Elphie had made towards her on many an occasion. Settling instead for a frustrated sigh, she tossed her hair, and, making sure no-one she knew was in sight, followed her friend into the store.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry it took so long, guys, I've been having a nightmare of a time at school/home/life in general, plus we're having an extension atm so our house is a total wreck, and it's been playing havoc with the Internet. Anyway, what matters is that I've written another chapter. And reviews make me happy. And keep me warm (our heating's down 'cause of the building work). So if you didn't get the not-so-subtle hint...no, I'm not gonna spell it out for you. Except to say: 'Please review!!!'**

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Glinda tried to keep a look of disgust from her face at the musty smell of old books and moth-eaten clothes that hit her as the door slid shut behind her. She regretted immediately letting Elphaba enter the store; with all these books she could be here for hours, and it wasn't as if the clothes were the height of that season's fashion.

Trying to find her friend beyond the gloom of the dimly lit aisles proved difficult – she was not helped by Elphaba's choice of black attire.

'Elphie?' Glinda asked in a tentative stage whisper, the muffled silence making her uneasy, 'Elphaba?' A little louder this time.

'Over here,' cam the reply, and feeling for the first time in her life like she didn't belong, Glinda moved towards her friend's voice. To her surprise, she found Elphaba not, as she had expected, with her green nose in a book. She appeared transfixed by a dress of deep purple draped over a hanger. There was nothing particularly extraordinary about the garment, aside from the silver embroidery about the collar and hem, and Glinda personally didn't see what was so special about it that had captured Elphie's attention. None-the-less, she wasn't going to be the one to discourage Elphaba from an interest in clothes.

'My mother had a dress exactly like this,' Elphaba murmured, too quietly for Glinda to hear without moving closer.

It's, well…' Glinda fumbled for words, 'It's very…_you_,' she said, though she was not quick to disguise the distaste in her voice. At a sharp look from Elphaba she had the courtesy to blush slightly, but did not lower her gaze, 'I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so fake,' she apologised sincerely, and reached out to take the dress. Holding it up against her friend, she had to admit that it wouldn't look too bad, and she grinned.

'Go try it on,' she suggested.

'What?' Elphaba took a step backwards, 'No, really, it doesn't matter. It's too expensive anyway.'

'Oh come on, Elphie, you want this dress, I can tell, please try it. If it fits, I'll buy it for you, okay?'

Elphaba sighed, and unceremoniously slung the dress over her arm, and took it to the changing rooms at the back, Glinda trailing behind her.

Pulling the curtain to, she shed her black skirt and shirt, and slipped the dress over her head. The material was soft, almost like silk, but with an appearance similar to velvet. It fit her perfectly, brushing the floor and hiding her boots. Seeing Glinda's shadow shifting beyond the curtain, Elphaba hesitantly pulled it aside, and was met with a gasp from her friend.

In the process of changing her clothes, Elphaba's hair had fallen loose of its braid, and tumbled over her exposed shoulders, framing her emerald face, and giving her an almost ethereal look.

Glinda couldn't believe that she was looking at the same person. The creature standing before her was a transformed girl, her hair loose and untamed, the material of the dress flowing to the floor.

Elphaba gave a nervous smile, fiddling with the sleeves, and averting her eyes to the window.

'Oh, Elphie, it's perfect,' Glinda walked around her friend, unable to comprehend how the bookworm had become a princess.

'It's alright, I guess,' Elphaba eyed her reflection in the mirror opposite, ever self-critical.

'Don't be stupid, Elphie, you look incredible in that thing!' Pulling out her purse, Glinda called over her shoulder, 'Go get changed, I'll pay for it,' and she flounced out of the room to the counter at the back of the shop.

Elphaba shook her head, unable to keep a smile off her face at Glinda's endless energy.

Wandering back through the store, Elphaba cast an eye down the various aisles. Frowning slightly in confusion, she gave a start as someone tapped on the window. Glinda was already waiting, waving a bag for the dress.

'I thought I'd lost you for a moment, you took so long coming out,' Glinda commented, carefully folding the dress into the bag.

'No such luck,' her green friend replied, but it was said with a smile. 'Where are you dragging me to next?'

'Well…'

Elphaba groaned inwardly. Glinda was using her puppy-dog eyes and injecting a slight whine to her voice. Which meant that whatever she was about to suggest would not be to Elphaba's liking.

'Well, what?' she asked warily.

'Well, I couldn't help noticing that you've got so many split ends…'


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Final chapter, folks! This chapter's rather more...emotional than the previous ones. Let me know what you think!**

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Elphaba froze as she saw the pink sign adorned with swirling writing swaying in the breeze.

'No,' she stated, planting her feet firmly on the ground.

'Elphie…' Glinda warned, 'You promised. You said I could take you out, and this is included. I don't think your hair's ever seen a pair of scissors before! Besides, it's unhealthy to let it grow so long,' she concluded.

'No,' Elphaba repeated, but to no avail, as Glinda took her arm in a surprisingly strong grip, and dragged her inside.

The staff seemed to know Glinda, or at least of her wealth, and Elphaba supposed she should be thankful that no-one gave her a second glance. Apparently if you had money, looks were irrelevant.

She found herself sitting in a soft, pink chair in front of a mirror, and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the fussing and the foreign hands running brushes through her hair, untangling the knots. To her surprise, she found herself relaxing…until she heard running water dangerously close to her head. Her eyes flew open, and she was on her feet in a second as it splashed onto her face.

Ignoring the burning pain on her cheek, she ran out of the shop, leaving Glinda to apologise profusely for her friend's "unusual behaviour". Elphaba hailed a taxi, deciding to let Glinda make her own way back to Shiz.

The blonde cursed herself as she scrambled into her carriage, for being so stupid as to forget about Elphie's allergy. _Some friend you are_, she told herself, willing her carriage to move faster along the gravel road.

Elphaba tossed the driver what she guessed was the right amount in change, and dashed up the stairs, locking herself in the bathroom. Gazing at her reflection, she rubbed some oil into her hands, and spread it across the burns that marred her cheek like red freckles, wincing as it stung.

Closing her eyes, she forced back tears, knowing they would only cause her more pain. _How could Glinda have been so thoughtless?_ She knew about Elphaba's condition, and Elphaba had trusted her. She let out a wry laugh. Trust. That would teach her to trust so easily, to trust at all. As if on cue, there was a hesitant tapping on the door.

One quick glance about the room had told Glinda that her friend had hidden in the bathroom, and she tentatively knocked on the locked door. When she got no response, she tried again, refusing to give up.

'Elphie? Elphaba?'

'Go away,' Elphaba bit out, though she was unable to hide the tremor in her voice.

'Elphie, please…I'm sorry, let me see you.'

Elphaba couldn't ignore the desperation in the blonde's unusually sincere tone, and slowly unbolted the door, knowing she couldn't hide forever.

Glinda stepped away from the door, letting the green girl walk to her bed and lie down, passing no comment on the red marks on her face, or the puffy eyes that betrayed Elphaba's failure to hold back tears.

'Oh Elphaba, I'm so sorry,' Glinda moved to sit beside her friend on the bed. 'I don't know how I could have been so stupid.'

At Elphaba's continued silence, a tear slid down her cheek, 'Elphie…please, talk to me,' she had been prepared for sarcasm, hurtful comments, anger…those she could deal with, but this silence was hurting her more than any cutting comment Elphaba could deliver.

Elphaba closed her eyes, letting out a shaky breath. Much as she hated to admit it, she had come to enjoy Glinda's company – for the most part – and knew she couldn't afford to lose the only friend she'd ever had. She was suddenly aware that Glinda had slipped her pale hand into her own green one, and she slowly sat up to look at the contrast between them.

'You're right,' she sighed, and continued with a smirk, 'I'm over-reacting.'

Seeing Glinda's tears, Elphaba fought to hold back her own, 'Don't waste your tears on me,' she scolded gently, and, gritting her teeth, brushed her thumb across Glinda's cheek, drying her tears, and ignoring the sting they stirred on her hand. Glinda kept silent and smiled weakly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Elphaba's ear.

'They're not wasted,' she said softly, and pulled Elphaba into a hug.

Elphaba smiled, 'You must have known I wouldn't have been able to ignore you for long.'

'Oh really? And why not?' Glinda teased.

Elphaba examined their hands, still joined in her lap, 'You should know, my dear Glinda,' she pressed her lips to Glinda's cheek, before whispering in her ear, 'Pink goes good with green.'


End file.
